The field of the disclosure relates generally to electrical power distribution systems and, more particularly, to a hybrid alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) distribution system and a method of use thereof.
Known electrical power distribution systems provide AC power or DC power to various electrical loads. Some electrical loads, marine ship loads, for example, create a need for an electrical power distribution system isolated from a typical utility grid. Such electrical power distribution systems are sometimes referred to as islanded systems or micro-grids. The various loads in an islanded system include, without limitation, drive loads, AC auxiliary loads, DC energy storage loads, and DC electronic loads. Possible power sources for islanded systems include, without limitation, generators and energy storage devices, such as batteries.
Known AC distribution systems utilize an AC distribution bus to distribute AC power to the location of a particular load. Some AC loads can be supplied directly, while others use a voltage conversion by a transformer or an AC-to-DC (AC/DC) conversion and subsequent DC-to-AC (DC/AC) conversion. DC loads use at least an AC/DC conversion. AC power sources, generators, for example, operate at a particular frequency to generate an appropriate voltage and frequency output to connect to the AC distribution bus. Similarly, known DC distribution systems utilize a DC distribution bus to distribute DC power to the location of a particular load. AC output from power sources is converted to DC before connecting to the DC distribution bus. Likewise, DC power on the DC distribution bus is converted to AC for various AC drive loads and auxiliary loads. DC energy storage loads and DC electronic loads are supplied directly or use a DC-to-DC (DC/DC) conversion to adjust voltage levels. The efficiency of known AC and DC distribution systems is reduced due to the number of electrical components used for conditioning generated power for distribution and distributed power for delivery to the various loads. The efficiency of known AC and DC distribution systems is further reduced by the inflexibility to consistently operate generators at peak efficiency due to variable load conditions.